ThinkSpace & the Case Study Approach

Owned by Carla Weiner
Last updated: Jul 19, 2011 by Carla WeinerVersion comment

What is a Case Study?

As described on the Center for Instructional Technology & Training at the University of Florida (http://www.citt.ufl.edu/toolbox/toolbox_caseStudies.php) "Case studies are collections of detailed information about a particular person or group. Case studies generally include descriptive research, exploration of a situation, and draw conclusions in context of the situation." The most common case studies used in education are:

  • Illustrative: Illustrative case studies are descriptive case studies that usually utilize one or two instances of an event to describe a situation. They serve to introduce the reader to a concept and give readers common language about the topic.
  • Cumulative: Cumulative case studies include information from several instances of a situation in order to make generalized conclusions.
  • Narrative: Narrative case studies present findings in a narrative format including a plot and characters.
  • Critical Instance: Critical instance case studies examine one or more situations in order to criticize a generalized or universal assumption. This method is often used in cause and effect situations.

Why Use the Case Study Approach?

How Should I Begin?

To develop a case study that works for your classroom, here are a few guidelines:

1. Identify Student Learning Outcomes
Identify what you want your students to learn from the experience. For example, do you want students to master specific knowledge? Or perhpas your goal is to develop students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills? The case study approach to teaching is well suited to developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. A 3D model of Bloom's (Revised) Taxonomy offers users an interactive tool for thinking about different types of learning exectations and outcomes. See http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/RevisedBlooms1.html.

2. Articulate Student Deliverables
Develop your problem/question. Think about what deliverables you want your students to produce (written memo's, oral presentations, short answers to questions, etc.)

3. Conceptualize a Case
Imagine a scenario in which your problem/question could be situated.

4. Compile a Resource, Reference, and Research List
Collect and/or develop resource artifacts. Not all cases will have imaginary resources -- you may actually want students to contact specialists, or find their own resources and information about a situation.

5. Design Your Using ThinkSpace.
Compile all your informaton into the Thinkspace. ThinkSpace is uniquely designed to facilitate a phased Case Study approach and offers both instructors and students tools to faciliate learning and assessment. Following is a link to a sample Case used for a writing intensive Business Communication Course: xxxxxxxx.

Where Can I Go For More Information About Cases?

The following links provide helpful information about case-based teaching methods:

The following links provide a collection of cases: